Arthur Dale Cleveland

Arthur Dale Cleveland, 61, died on August 11, 2018. He was born February 27, 1957 in Tallahassee, Florida, the first son to Arthur D. “Jinks” Cleveland and Billie Ann Williams Cleveland. Throughout his life, Art had a passion for music, believed that children were important and crucial to the world, and had a deep love and loyalty for his family, friends, and Florida State Football, even through the Jeff Bowden years. Art grew up in Tallahassee, alongside his little brother, Brett Cleveland, and eventually, his much younger little sister, Caren Cleveland Odom. He was baptized in East Hill Baptist Church and grew to be a Royal Ambassador there. Throughout his life, Art could recite the Royal Ambassador Pledge. Music became central to Art’s faith and life. During high school, he sang in East Hill’s Revelation group. In 1981 he joined his brother’s singing group, Southern Churchmen, and “toured” North Florida with Mike Smith, Stacey Mills, Dave Williams, Jack Chason, David Griffith and accompanist Karen Willes. At Godby High School he played saxophone in the band and was drum major his senior year. Through the camaraderie of music, church, and play, he maintained lifelong friendships with boys in his neighborhood, church, and high school. Art was a practicing Christian throughout his life and sought church membership in every community in which he lived: Lakeside Baptist Church in Lakeland, Florida; Deer Park Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky, and First Presbyterian Church in Tallahassee, Florida. In each congregation he served: as a deacon, as an elder, as a choir member, as a Sunday School teacher and youth group advisor. His faith was full of joy. He sometimes joked more than he sang bass in the choir and he always laughed at the thought of Jesus as a mischievous badger. Most importantly, he knew that Brother Will Campbell spoke the truth when he said, “We’re all bastards, but God loves us anyway.” Art married the love of his life, Peggy Wright, on May 21, 1983, in East Hill Baptist Church. Peggy and Art met while attending Florida State University’s Baptist Campus Ministry, became best friends and fell in love. Art and Peggy had four daughters: Anna Cleveland, Lillian Cleveland, Eleanor Cleveland, and Abigail Cleveland. Art’s greatest joy in life was being a father to these vibrant young women. He never missed a dance, viola, violin or cello recital; soccer game or chorus concert; honors ceremony, graduation or art show, and he was always thrilled to be there, even through ten different painfully slow variations of “Jingle Bells.” Art was a Licensed and Board Certified Clinical Social Worker who specialized in Child and Adolescent Play Therapy, with a private practice of his own for twenty years after working in the behavioral health practice of Consultative Pediatrics for fifteen years. He received both his Bachelors and Masters of Social Work from Florida State University. Additionally, he was an advanced graduate of the FSU/LSU Harris Institute of Infant Mental Health. He believed and preached that “play is the work of children.” While pregnant with their first daughter, Peggy gave Art a book entitled The Nurturing Father by Kyle Pruitt, M.D. It was the first book Art had ever seen about the importance of fathers in the lives of children. As a clinician, Art visited many preschools and elementary schools. At each visit children asked whose daddy he was, tugged at Art’s pant leg, pulled on his arm, showed Art their work, and asked him to play. Art became convinced that Dr. Pruitt was correct in his belief that children look for father figures everywhere. Art asked himself questions: How can we as a society help fathers learn to nurture their children? What could he do as a child therapist and the father of four? How could he take Pruitt’s research and make a difference in the lives of fathers and children? Later Art developed a successful program to educate and inspire fathers, the DADS Project. For ten years, Art taught over 4000 fathers the tools needed to make an impact in the lives of their children, utilizing one of the initial grants in the Fatherhood Initiative from the Office of Governor Lawton Chiles. Art also served the profession as the Treasurer of the Florida Association for Marriage and Family Therapy for eight years and as the President of the Tallahassee Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. He contributed as a consultant to the Capital Area Head Start and as a Board Member of the First Presbyterian Preschool. He was an Association of Play Therapy board member who thoroughly enjoyed the conferences and board meetings, where he got to play, discuss the importance of play, plan the training of future play therapists, and drink scotch with lots of women. He never thought it was bad to be the only male in the room (and he often was). “You’ve got to play, to make it today,” was an often heard chorus in reference to Art’s work. Art made a difference in the lives of many children and their families through his life work of “play.” Art is preceded in death by his father, Jinks Cleveland. He is survived by his wife, Peggy Wright-Cleveland; his four daughters, Anna Elizabeth Cleveland (partner Jacob Kline), Lillian Margaret Cleveland, Eleanor Irene Cleveland, Abigail Grace Cleveland; his mother Billie Cleveland; and his siblings, Brett Cleveland (wife Debbie Cleveland) and Caren Cleveland Odom (husband Shawn Odom, daughters Eliza and Sloane Odom). Art’s greatest strength was friendship and loyalty, and because of that, and because of the life-changing work he did, there are many who will miss him. However, his love for Florida State Football and sports, passion for children, social justice, and the occasional pessimistic attitude will live on in his daughters: Anna, Lillian, Eleanor, and Abigail. The family will receive friends from 5:00PM until 7:00PM on Friday, August 17th at Bevis Funeral Home, 200 John Knox Road in Tallahassee. The memorial service will be held at 11:00AM on Saturday, August 18th at First Presbyterian Church, 110 N. Adams Street in Tallahassee. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that a donation be given to the Art Cleveland Play Therapy Endowment: Perpetuating a Legacy of Caring for Children through the College of Social Work at Florida State University, a scholarship for future play therapists. (https://csw.fsu.edu/article/art-cleveland-play-therapy-endowment-perpetuating-legacy-caring-children). Alternately, a donation may be made to First Presbyterian Church, Tallahassee, Florida at www.oldfirstchurch.org or 110 N. Adams Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32301. Kelly Barber of Bevis Funeral Home (850/385-2193 or www.bevisfh.com) is assisting the Cleveland family with their arrangements.

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Arthur Dale Cleveland

February 27, 1957 - August 11, 2018